ROBBINSVILLE — After defeating Allentown 9-1 earlier in the season, Robbinsville had its rematch with the Redbirds yesterday and the only thing that was the same about the two games was the winning team.

That’s because The Ravens won the rematch 1-0 in a game that was all about the pitching and defense. The win puts Robbinsville in the driver’s seat in the CVC Patriot Division as the Redbirds now have two conference losses to the Ravens’ none.

It was the second 1-0 win for Robbinsville in the past three days as the Ravens knocked off South Jersey power Washington Township by the same score on Sunday in the finals of the Rancocas Valley Tournament.

“I think that is just how it goes with Allentown,” Robbinsville head coach Christine Cabarle said of the two differing victories. “It goes either of three ways. They beat us, we beat them, or we have one of these really close games. But a win is a win, that’s the important thing.”

Advertisement

As might be expected in such a low scoring game, there was plenty of great defense played by both sides. Allentown right fielder Brianna Smith ran down a pair of deep line drives in the third and the sixth innings which undoubtedly saved at least two runs.

Meanwhile, Robbinsville’s Christine Levering made it clear that there is no second baseman who can go back on a ball better than she can as she made a pair of running, backhanded stabs to haul in a pair of Allentown bloopers to short right field.

“Christine hasn’t had as many opportunities to show what she can do this year,” Cabarle said of her second baseman. “But she is the one player that can get me on my feet and out of the dugout screaming.”

That is exactly what Cabarle did in the fourth when Levering made the first of her two grabs. She might have also done it in the second inning if she had known how important the single run the Ravens scored would turn out to be.

It was the bottom of the Raven batting order that provided that run as Levering singled with one out, stole second and then motored home on a clutch two out single by freshman left fielder Felicia Schumacher, who bats eighth in the order.

According to Schumacher, the RBI opportunity presented no added pressure, in spite of her inexperience and her place in the batting order.

“Every time I’m at bat I try to clear everything out of my head,” she said. “She (Allentown pitcher Hayley Peterson) had been throwing outside, mostly. So I just crowded the plate and got hold of it. I felt pretty good about it (when I made contact.”)

Allentown’s Peterson spread eight hits out and was able to hold the Ravens at bay after the second with the help of some strong defensive play. But even when Allentown hitters could figure out Robbinsville pitcher Lauren Fischer, they couldn’t deliver, leaving the bases loaded in the second and stranding a runner at third in the fourth.

“We didn’t execute,” Allentown head coach Bob Dubina said of the loss. “We got doubled up on a squeeze play and we had first and second and no out and we missed a sign. When you don’t do the little things, you can’t beat a good team. We can’t give them that. They took advantage of their opportunities and we didn’t.”